I’ll keep fighting for windfall tax
I’M sure that many people across Stockport were shocked by this week’s news that inflation has hit 9 per cent - the highest rate in 40 years.
Sometimes these statistics can seem abstract, but this year people are really feeling the effects the spiralling cost of living crisis.
Millions of households will be paying on average £693 more a year on their energy bills, and petrol prices have hit a record high of £167.64p a litre.
I know that households across Stockport will be seeing the effects of this first had, as their already stretched budgets now have to go even further.
This week in Parliament I voted for an amendment which would have helped ease this crisis, by introducing a windfall tax on oil and gas profits.
This would have been a one-off tax on the unexpected profits the oil and gas industry have seen, allowing energy bills to be cut by an average £200.
Sadly, the Government, which is increasingly proving to be out of touch with reality, voted it down.
It’s something my colleagues and I in the opposition will continue to fight for, and hopefully we’ll see a U-turn from the Government soon.
I’m glad that local councillors have been proactive in helping residents during this tough time.
Over the Easter holidays the Council provided support vouchers for families with children in receipt of income-based free school meals.
Hopefully, these efforts will be matched sooner rather than later by those in Central Government.
We also owe a lot to our local foodbanks and community action groups, who have done an amazing job both throughout the pandemic, and through the recent cost of living crisis.
Where people have needed support, local residents have stepped up.
Stockport Foodbank Centres are open six days a week and can be found right across the Borough.
I’ve written before about fantastic initiatives like Your Local Pantry, which provides affordable meals to those who need them.
But, of course, these programmes should not be necessary.
The Trussell Trust have given out 19pc more food parcels than before the pandemic, and similar changes have been seen across Greater Manchester.
In one of the richest countries in the world, people should not be relying on food parcels, and it’s time the Government get serious about preventing this.